blancwene's review
2.0
For 2021, I decided to reread Del Rey’s first attempt at a multi-author book series in the Star Wars universe: The New Jedi Order, which was published between 1999 and 2003. This shakes out to 19 novels, two eBook novellas, three short stories, and a tangentially-related prequel era novel.
This week’s focus: a short story from Star Wars Insider issue 75, set in-between [b:Force Heretic II: Refugee|261087|Force Heretic II Refugee (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #16)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386923224l/261087._SY75_.jpg|2307451] and [b:Force Heretic III: Reunion|842591|Force Heretic III Reunion (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #17)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407356361l/842591._SY75_.jpg|2307450]: “Or Die Trying” by Sean Williams and Shane Dix.
SOME HISTORY:
2003 saw the release of the Force Heretic trilogy by Sean Williams and Shane Dix, the antepenultimate volumes of The New Jedi Order book series. But they weren’t done with the Star Wars universe, and had an idea for a short story based on a deleted scene from [b:Force Heretic III: Reunion|842591|Force Heretic III Reunion (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #17)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407356361l/842591._SY75_.jpg|2307450]. The result was “Or Die Trying," a six-page story released in May 2004 in Star Wars Insider #75.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE STORY:
Nope, no memory--another one of these stories that I never knew about until I started digging around on Wookieepedia
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Jedi Knight Jaina Solo infiltrates the headquarters of Onadax Droid Technologies. The company manufactured a human replica droid (HRD) that betrayed the citizens of Bakura, and Solo hopes to bring them to justice for the crimes committed by their client.
TIMELINE DISCLAIMER:
“Or Die Trying” is set after [b:Force Heretic II: Refugee|261087|Force Heretic II Refugee (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #16)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386923224l/261087._SY75_.jpg|2307451], right before the beginning of [b:Force Heretic III: Reunion|842591|Force Heretic III Reunion (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #17)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407356361l/842591._SY75_.jpg|2307450].
THE STORY:
In the end of [b:Force Heretic II: Refugee|261087|Force Heretic II Refugee (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #16)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386923224l/261087._SY75_.jpg|2307451], the Solos are instructed to head to Onadax in the Minos Cluster to meet with another member of the Ryn Network. "Or Die Trying" provides another reason for their visit: Jaina is following the trail of credits from Prime Minister Cundertol's human replica droid purchase.
Jaina learns of the existence of a company called Onadax Droid Technologies (or ODT), and sneaks onto the compound. She is met by another HRD named Stanton Rendar, who...OK, I need to explain some necessary backstory here.
BACKSTORY DIGRESSION:
[b:Shadows of the Empire|9549|Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)|Steve Perry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361481442l/9549._SY75_.jpg|858558] by Steve Perry ended with the fate of two characters left hanging--Luke Skywalker spared the life of Prince Xizor's personal HRD assassin Guri before the destruction of Xizor’s palace, and it *looked* like Dash Rendar's Outrider was destroyed during the Battle over Coruscant. But if you've read the 1998 sequel comic [b:Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - Evolution|162653|Star Wars Shadows of the Empire - Evolution|Steve Perry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361073692l/162653._SY75_.jpg|4704855], you know that Dash made it out alive--and Guri decided she no longer wanted to be an assassin, having that part of her programming removed. The comic ended with Guri walking into a bar, and Dash offering to buy her a drink.
BACK TO THE STORY:
According to "Or Die Trying," Dash and Guri went into business together, creating HRDs that were based on Guri's technology, but with the added benefit of using Ssi-Ruuk entechment to transfer someone's spirit into a droid body. Dash's older brother had been killed in an act of sabotage by Xizor years prior, so this Stanton Rendar is an attempt to recreate him (but unlike Cundertol's HRD, could not possibly contain his spirit, which makes Jaina's Force sense of him a little weird).
So Jaina confronts Stanton, and then they talk about how great this HRD technology will be for the future! Except Jaina is not convinced! And then Jaina has to fight some droids, and Stanton blows up the compound, so ODT will have to rebuild operations elsewhere.
THE MEH:
And that's it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
First of all, I have to question one of the basic premises of the story. Would Dash and Guri have gone into business together? Maybe. Would Dash have built HRDs using entechment technology and attempted to remake his brother? Hmm. I can’t quite buy that turn of events.
Yes, Dash was cut up about the death of the Bothan Y-wing pilots in Shadows of the Empire, but mainly because he thought he had missed (and Dash would never miss). Yes, Dash was upset about his brother’s death. But to go from being a mercenary to a businessman manufacturing HRDs using Ssi-Ruuk technology feels like we’re missing an intermediary stage in his development.
Second, other than tying up some loose ends from Shadows of the Empire, not much happens here. If [b:The Apprentice|17795838|The Apprentice (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #10.5)|Elaine Cunningham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517420696l/17795838._SX50_.jpg|24893008] and [b:Ylesia|2689125|Ylesia (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #14.5)|Walter Jon Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1201563492l/2689125._SY75_.jpg|7039644] were deleted scenes that did flesh out their corresponding novels, “Or Die Trying” feels superfluous in comparison. This line of investigation (as far as I’m aware) isn’t pursued further, so it doesn’t feel like a complete story, more like a philosophical exercise or an attempt to work disparate threads from Shadows and [b:Children of the Jedi|555313|Children of the Jedi (Star Wars The Callista Trilogy, #1)|Barbara Hambly|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327008546l/555313._SY75_.jpg|1230005] and even [b:The Glove of Darth Vader|1148191|The Glove of Darth Vader (Star Wars Jedi Prince #1)|Paul Davids|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389147010l/1148191._SX50_.jpg|1135653] series into the same continuity.
MY VERDICT:
“Or Die Trying” is the shortest of these short stories that I’ve read thus far. It relies on a fair amount of backstory from [b:Shadows of the Empire|9549|Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)|Steve Perry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361481442l/9549._SY75_.jpg|858558] that you may not know, and it feels slight to me because this line of questioning appears only once before it’s dropped. But I have included a link to a scanned PDF of the story, in case you want to check it out for yourself.
Next up: the third book in the Force Heretic trilogy by Sean Williams and Shane Dix, [b:Force Heretic III: Reunion|842591|Force Heretic III Reunion (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #17)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407356361l/842591._SY75_.jpg|2307450].
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/t36A9MDZo80
Scanned PDF of “Or Die Trying”: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SxtI_5hVbHcNwVa1fC3qtb1jf4xG1wnt/view?usp=sharing
This week’s focus: a short story from Star Wars Insider issue 75, set in-between [b:Force Heretic II: Refugee|261087|Force Heretic II Refugee (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #16)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386923224l/261087._SY75_.jpg|2307451] and [b:Force Heretic III: Reunion|842591|Force Heretic III Reunion (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #17)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407356361l/842591._SY75_.jpg|2307450]: “Or Die Trying” by Sean Williams and Shane Dix.
SOME HISTORY:
2003 saw the release of the Force Heretic trilogy by Sean Williams and Shane Dix, the antepenultimate volumes of The New Jedi Order book series. But they weren’t done with the Star Wars universe, and had an idea for a short story based on a deleted scene from [b:Force Heretic III: Reunion|842591|Force Heretic III Reunion (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #17)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407356361l/842591._SY75_.jpg|2307450]. The result was “Or Die Trying," a six-page story released in May 2004 in Star Wars Insider #75.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE STORY:
Nope, no memory--another one of these stories that I never knew about until I started digging around on Wookieepedia
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Jedi Knight Jaina Solo infiltrates the headquarters of Onadax Droid Technologies. The company manufactured a human replica droid (HRD) that betrayed the citizens of Bakura, and Solo hopes to bring them to justice for the crimes committed by their client.
TIMELINE DISCLAIMER:
“Or Die Trying” is set after [b:Force Heretic II: Refugee|261087|Force Heretic II Refugee (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #16)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386923224l/261087._SY75_.jpg|2307451], right before the beginning of [b:Force Heretic III: Reunion|842591|Force Heretic III Reunion (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #17)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407356361l/842591._SY75_.jpg|2307450].
THE STORY:
In the end of [b:Force Heretic II: Refugee|261087|Force Heretic II Refugee (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #16)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386923224l/261087._SY75_.jpg|2307451], the Solos are instructed to head to Onadax in the Minos Cluster to meet with another member of the Ryn Network. "Or Die Trying" provides another reason for their visit: Jaina is following the trail of credits from Prime Minister Cundertol's human replica droid purchase.
Jaina learns of the existence of a company called Onadax Droid Technologies (or ODT), and sneaks onto the compound. She is met by another HRD named Stanton Rendar, who...OK, I need to explain some necessary backstory here.
BACKSTORY DIGRESSION:
[b:Shadows of the Empire|9549|Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)|Steve Perry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361481442l/9549._SY75_.jpg|858558] by Steve Perry ended with the fate of two characters left hanging--Luke Skywalker spared the life of Prince Xizor's personal HRD assassin Guri before the destruction of Xizor’s palace, and it *looked* like Dash Rendar's Outrider was destroyed during the Battle over Coruscant. But if you've read the 1998 sequel comic [b:Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - Evolution|162653|Star Wars Shadows of the Empire - Evolution|Steve Perry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361073692l/162653._SY75_.jpg|4704855], you know that Dash made it out alive--and Guri decided she no longer wanted to be an assassin, having that part of her programming removed. The comic ended with Guri walking into a bar, and Dash offering to buy her a drink.
BACK TO THE STORY:
According to "Or Die Trying," Dash and Guri went into business together, creating HRDs that were based on Guri's technology, but with the added benefit of using Ssi-Ruuk entechment to transfer someone's spirit into a droid body. Dash's older brother had been killed in an act of sabotage by Xizor years prior, so this Stanton Rendar is an attempt to recreate him (but unlike Cundertol's HRD, could not possibly contain his spirit, which makes Jaina's Force sense of him a little weird).
So Jaina confronts Stanton, and then they talk about how great this HRD technology will be for the future! Except Jaina is not convinced! And then Jaina has to fight some droids, and Stanton blows up the compound, so ODT will have to rebuild operations elsewhere.
THE MEH:
And that's it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
First of all, I have to question one of the basic premises of the story. Would Dash and Guri have gone into business together? Maybe. Would Dash have built HRDs using entechment technology and attempted to remake his brother? Hmm. I can’t quite buy that turn of events.
Yes, Dash was cut up about the death of the Bothan Y-wing pilots in Shadows of the Empire, but mainly because he thought he had missed (and Dash would never miss). Yes, Dash was upset about his brother’s death. But to go from being a mercenary to a businessman manufacturing HRDs using Ssi-Ruuk technology feels like we’re missing an intermediary stage in his development.
Second, other than tying up some loose ends from Shadows of the Empire, not much happens here. If [b:The Apprentice|17795838|The Apprentice (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #10.5)|Elaine Cunningham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517420696l/17795838._SX50_.jpg|24893008] and [b:Ylesia|2689125|Ylesia (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #14.5)|Walter Jon Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1201563492l/2689125._SY75_.jpg|7039644] were deleted scenes that did flesh out their corresponding novels, “Or Die Trying” feels superfluous in comparison. This line of investigation (as far as I’m aware) isn’t pursued further, so it doesn’t feel like a complete story, more like a philosophical exercise or an attempt to work disparate threads from Shadows and [b:Children of the Jedi|555313|Children of the Jedi (Star Wars The Callista Trilogy, #1)|Barbara Hambly|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327008546l/555313._SY75_.jpg|1230005] and even [b:The Glove of Darth Vader|1148191|The Glove of Darth Vader (Star Wars Jedi Prince #1)|Paul Davids|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389147010l/1148191._SX50_.jpg|1135653] series into the same continuity.
MY VERDICT:
“Or Die Trying” is the shortest of these short stories that I’ve read thus far. It relies on a fair amount of backstory from [b:Shadows of the Empire|9549|Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)|Steve Perry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361481442l/9549._SY75_.jpg|858558] that you may not know, and it feels slight to me because this line of questioning appears only once before it’s dropped. But I have included a link to a scanned PDF of the story, in case you want to check it out for yourself.
Next up: the third book in the Force Heretic trilogy by Sean Williams and Shane Dix, [b:Force Heretic III: Reunion|842591|Force Heretic III Reunion (Star Wars The New Jedi Order, #17)|Sean Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407356361l/842591._SY75_.jpg|2307450].
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/t36A9MDZo80
Scanned PDF of “Or Die Trying”: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SxtI_5hVbHcNwVa1fC3qtb1jf4xG1wnt/view?usp=sharing
More...